-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cockiness and swagger serve him on the golf course , but there 's much more to golf 's young phenom , Rory McIlroy .

The U.S. Open winner might hang with tennis great Rafael Nadal , knock back some Heinekens or slip the electronic dance sounds of Swedish House Mafia into his iPod .

Such tidbits are rolling out these days from the 22-year-old hero of Holywood , Northern Ireland , who won the tournament by eight strokes and instantly drew comparisons to Tiger Woods .

`` I did n't realize how much my life would change , even in the last 10 days , '' McIlroy said on `` Piers Morgan Tonight , '' aired Thursday .

As Woods has done over the years , McIlroy simply left the competition in the dust . He was the youngest winner of the tournament since the legendary Bobby Jones in 1923 .

For someone under a spotlight these days , the athlete with a tousle of hair looked at ease during his interview with Morgan .

`` To me , I won a golf tournament and that was the end of it , '' McIlroy said . But it really is bigger than that . ''

He paid tribute to his parents , who both worked when he grew up . His father , Gerry , held down three jobs and was a `` calming influence '' during the U.S. Open , said McIlroy , an only child .

The U.S. Open gave the golfer a shot of redemption after his final-round meltdown at the Masters in April .

`` If anything it made me more determined to prove to people and myself that I was n't ... a choker , '' McIlroy said .

While saying he was inspired by Woods , McIlroy is n't one to compare himself .

But he does n't feel intimidated , either .

`` I do n't want to feel inferior to any other golfer in the world , '' he told Morgan . `` If you do that , you give them an advantage from the start . ''

While the young McIlroy has one major championship , Woods has 14 , including three U.S. Open wins . Woods , 35 , has had no PGA wins since taking a brief leave from the game in late 2009 after admitting infidelity .

Life on the tour can bring its own problems , McIlroy conceded .

`` You need a good team around you to keep you grounded . ''

McIlroy , who plays in the British Open next month , said he and girlfriend Holly Sweeney are a `` normal couple . '' They have two dogs and she is completing her university degree .

A fan of boxing and soccer , McIlroy said he does n't want the flash of fame to affect him .

After all , there are more tournaments to win .

`` I 'm very confident in my own abilities . I believe in myself , '' McIlroy said . `` I 'm not playing for money . I 'm playing for a place in history . ''

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Northern Ireland native won U.S. Open by eight strokes

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Rory McIlroy says he is playing for history , not the money

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He tells `` Piers Morgan Tonight '' he has swagger on the golf course